Apparatus of guiding safe driving at intersections and method of guiding safe driving using the same

Abstract

Disclosed are herein an apparatus of guiding safe driving at intersections and a method of guiding safe driving using the same. The driving guiding apparatus at intersections includes an intersection condition sensing unit installed at one side of a vehicle and sensing the current conditions around an intersection, an intersection pre-entry condition calculation unit installed at the other side of the vehicle and calculating in advance current condition data before the vehicle enters the intersection based on current condition data corresponding to the current conditions around the intersection sensed by the intersection condition sensing unit, and an intersection pre-entry vehicle speed indication unit installed at the other side of the vehicle and indicating a reference vehicle speed, corresponding to the current condition data calculated by the intersection pre-entry condition calculation unit, before the vehicle enters the intersection.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An apparatus of guiding safe driving at intersections comprising:
 an intersection condition sensing unit sensing current conditions around an intersection; 
 an intersection pre-entry condition calculation unit calculating in advance current condition data before a vehicle enters the intersection based on current condition data corresponding to the current conditions around the intersection sensed by the intersection condition sensing unit; and 
 an intersection pre-entry vehicle speed indication unit indicating a reference vehicle speed, corresponding to the current condition data calculated by the intersection pre-entry condition calculation unit, before the vehicle enters the intersection, 
 wherein the intersection condition sensing unit, the intersection pre-entry condition calculation unit and the intersection pre-entry vehicle speed indication unit are installed in the vehicle. 
 
     
     
       2. The apparatus of guiding safe driving at intersections according to  claim 1 , wherein the intersection pre-entry condition calculation unit calculates a predicted time until the vehicle enters the intersection using at least one of a current traffic signal at an traffic light at the intersection, a remaining time until the next traffic signal change, a next traffic signal changed from the current traffic signal, a remaining distance to the traffic light at the intersection, a current vehicle speed, a current vehicle acceleration, and a traffic signal change time. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of guiding safe driving at intersections according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the intersection conditions sensing unit, the intersection pre-entry condition calculation unit, and the intersection pre-entry vehicle speed indication unit is manufactured as an external device. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of guiding safe driving at intersections according to  claim 1 , further comprising an intersection pre-entry vehicle speed confirmation unit, if a current vehicle speed is within the range of the reference vehicle speed corresponding to the current condition data indicated by the intersection pre-entry vehicle speed indication unit, confirming that the current vehicle speed is a vehicle speed at present when the vehicle will enters the intersection. 
     
     
       5. A method of guiding safe driving at intersections comprising:
 sensing current conditions around an intersection through an intersection condition sensing unit; 
 calculating intersection pre-entry conditions by receiving current condition data corresponding to the current conditions around the intersection sensed through the intersection condition sensing unit and calculating in advance current condition data before a vehicle enters the intersection based on the current condition data corresponding to the current conditions around the intersection, through an intersection pre-entry condition calculation unit; and 
 indicating an intersection pre-entry vehicle speed by receiving a reference vehicle speed corresponding to the current condition data calculated through the intersection pre-entry condition calculation unit and indicating the reference vehicle speed before the vehicle enters the intersection, through an intersection pre-entry vehicle speed indication unit, 
 wherein the intersection condition sensing unit, the intersection pre-entry condition calculation unit and the intersection pre-entry vehicle speed indication unit are installed in the vehicle. 
 
     
     
       6. The method of guiding safe driving at intersections according to  claim 5 , wherein, in the calculation of the intersection pre-entry conditions, the intersection pre-entry condition calculation unit calculates a predicted time until the vehicle enters the intersection using at least one of a current traffic signal at an traffic light at the intersection, a remaining time until the next traffic signal change, a next traffic signal changed from the current traffic signal, a remaining distance to the traffic light at the intersection, a current vehicle speed, a current vehicle acceleration, and a traffic signal change time. 
     
     
       7. The method of guiding safe driving at intersections according to  claim 5 , wherein, in at least one of the sensing of the current conditions, the calculation of the intersection pre-entry conditions, and the indication of the intersection pre-entry vehicle speed, at least one of the intersection conditions sensing unit, the intersection pre-entry condition calculation unit, and the intersection pre-entry vehicle speed indication unit is manufactured as an external device. 
     
     
       8. The method of guiding safe driving at intersections according to  claim 5 , further comprising, after the indication of the intersection pre-entry vehicle speed, confirming the intersection pre-entry vehicle speed by, if a current vehicle speed is within the range of the reference vehicle speed corresponding to the current condition data indicated through the intersection pre-entry vehicle speed indication unit, confirming that the current vehicle speed is a vehicle speed at present when the vehicle will enters the intersection, through an intersection pre-entry vehicle speed confirmation unit.